Retaining plates for nets, tarpaulins and the like



Sept. 20, 1960 A. J. RICHARDSON RETAINING PLATES FOR NETS, TARPAULINS AND THE LIKE Filed Feb. 20, 1959 INVENTOR ATTORNEY RETAINING rLArEs' FOR NETS, AND THE LIKE Alfred J. Richardson, P.'O. Box 927, Hayden, Ariz. Filed Feb. 20, 1959, Ser- No. 794,780

3 Claims. (Cl. 160-404) (Granted under Title '35, US. Code (1952), see. 266) TARPAULINS The invention described herein, if patented, may be manufactured and used by or for the Government for governmental purposes, without the payment to me of any royalty thereon.

This invention relates to retaining plates for more or less general use when supported on a cable, clothesline, or the like, and is useful in suspending rugs and carpets, tarpaulins, drapes, nets and canvas flies for drying purposes, etc.

A primary object of the invention resides in the provision of a one-piece plate of metal or the like preferably provided with integral tangs and adapted to automatically adjust itself to varying positions on a cable so as to facilitate the supporting of the particular item applied thereto.

A further object of the invention consists in the provision of a sturdy but inexpensive retaining plate provided with integral struck-up means for providing automatic positioning of the plate and additional struck-up means for engaging and holding the material being supported in either of two possible directions.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which- Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of a camouflage sheet or the like supported by a plurality of the retaining plates forming the subject matter of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a roof formed of a pair of cables suspended in parallel relationship and carrying a number of the retaining plates on which a canvas or other type of fabric roof is secured;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view of a building, one side wall of which is represented as partly blown away, and showing a cable carrying the novel retaining plates for supporting a mat, blanket, or the like over the opening;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 6 is a bottom plan view of the retaining plate; and

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the plate.

The plate forming the present invention is indicated generally by the numeral 1, and may be formed of galvanized iron or the like cut into rectangular form and bent to form an obtuse angle to provide legs 2, 2 bent at the base of the angle 3.

Each leg at a point adjacent angle 3 is provided with an elongated finger 4 struck-up fi'om the metal of the leg and directed inwardly, as clearly shown in Figs. 4, 5, and 7. These fingers are directed toward each other and spaced apart at their free ends as indicated by the numeral 5 in Figs. 4 and 5 to provide for the placing and removal of the retaining plates with respect to the clothesline or cable which serves as a support for the retaining plate and the material which is retained thereon. The cable or clothesline in the present illustration is indicated by the numeral 6.

Each of the legs 2 between its free end and its finger 4 Fee is provided with two pairs of tangs indicated by the numeral 7 and struck-up in triangular form to provide penetrating points 8; .The tangs of each pair are directed towardeach other and spaced apart a substantial distance as indicated by the numeral 9. These tangs are struck-up so as to extend outwardly of the outer surface of the legs 2, whereas the fingers 4 extend inwardly, as will be clearly apparent from a view of Figs. 4, 5, and 7.

The manner of operation or functioning of these retaining plates is shown in Figs. 1 to 5, inclusively, and especially in Figs. 1, 2, and 3. In Fig. 1, the cable 6 is shown as extending between two trees and attached there to by means of spokes or loops 10. Four of the retaining plates are mounted on this cable and the camouflage sheet or the like 11 is placed over the plurality of plates 1 and serves to tilt the plates as indicated in Fig. 4 so that the plates are slid downwardly until the fingers 4 on the upper legs of the plates engage the cable 6 and stop further downward movement. This movement is caused by the weight of the sheet 11 which is retained on the plate by reason of the upwardly directed tangs 7 penetrating the material of the sheet. This down strain or pull of the sheet is indicated by the arrow at the lower edge of Fig. 4.

Referring to Fig. 5, it will be noted that the strain, as indicated by the arrow to the right of Fig. 5, has caused the pairs of plates mounted on the nearest cable 6 (Fig. 2) to be drawn to the right so that the fingers 4 grip the cable as the canvas roofing 12 is penetrated by the inwardly directed tangs 7 on upper legs 2 of the several plates. The reverse of this action occurs in connection with the plurality of plates mounted on the other of the two parallel cables shown in Fig. 2.

In Fig. 3, the cable or clothesline 6 is shown as sup ported by spaced hooks or pins 13 and the four retaining supports 1 which serve to suspend the sheet or blanket 14 in the same manner as indicated in Fig. 4 in connection with the camouflage sheet 11 of Fig. l.

From the foregoing disclosure, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, it will be apparent that I have devised a simple and inexpensive construction of a one-piece retaining plate in which all of the operative parts are formed by being struck from the plate and that the retaining plate may be readily and detachably supported on or over a cable or clothesline and is caused to automatically assume its operative position by the weight of the material being supported. This device, in addition to operatively supporting various blankets and sheets as referred to above and shown in the drawings, is very effective in supporting blankets, nets, etc., to be dried, and it will be noted that the ends of the retaining plates serve to space apart the overhanging portions of the blanks or the like when they are suspended, thereby facilitating the rapid drying of the items.

In accordance with the patent laws I have described what I consider to be the preferred form of the invention, but inasmuch as various minor changes may be made in structural details without departing from the spirit of the invention, it is intended that all such changes be included within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A retaining and supporting plate for use in conjunction with a clothesline, comprising a substantially rectangular strip of stiff sheet material bent intermediate its ends to form two legs arranged at an obtuse angle, integral means on the inside of each of the legs for retaining the plate on the clothesline, and additional integral means on the outside of each of the legs for engaging and retaining a fabric placed over the plate.

2. A retaining and supporting plate for use in conjunction with a clothesline, comprising a strip of stiff sheet material bent intermediate its ends to form two angularly '3 t) V arranged legs, an inwardly-directed finger struck from each leg adjacent the base thereof, said fingers being directed toward each other, and a pair of outwardly directed tangs rectangular metal strip bent intermediate its'ends to form two legs arranged at an obtuse angle, a finger struck-up from each of said legs adjacent the base thereof and di-v rected toward each other, and pairs. of tang '7 struck-up from each leg and disposed between the fingers and outer end of the respective legs, the tangs of each pair being directed toward each other.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATESPATENTS 1,332,941 Anderson Mar. 9, 1920 2,051,191 Watson -Au 18, 1936 2,127,234 Reiter-t. Aug. 16, 1938 2,417,922 Fraser Mar. 25, 1947 2,572,643 1 Mann .4. Oct. 23, 1951 2,657,442-i Bedford Nov. 3, 1953 

